The Lightning Theif
by KittyCat2424
Summary: The story of the Lightning Theif with some changes and with Annabeth narrating it.
1. Chapter 1: Awards Ceremony

Just for you to know, Ariella is Annabeth, I just changed her name.

I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1

**THE AWARDS CEREMONY**

"Get up you lousy little girl!" yelled my stepmother behind my door. I pushed my covers away and slowly sat down. _Today's the day, _I thought to myself. _Nothing can go wrong._ I got out of bed with a huge smile in my face, one that would fade away too soon.

I opened my window and let the smell of Manhattan enter my room. I loved this city more than any other city I had lived in, it gave me the feeling of home. I put on my uniform, a short plaid skirt with shorts under, knee-long, black socks with black, doll-like shoes, a white dress shirt and the school's vest. This was the uniform of the best school in New York City, the Shuriken Academy. It had the name of a weapon because some Japanese people founded it about 100 years ago. I tied a pink ribbon to the collar of my shirt and ran to the kitchen.

In the kitchen were my stepmother and her two daughters, Stephanie and Cornelia. They were the meanest teenagers I had ever seen. Cornelia had bright red hair and dark, mossy green eyes while Stephanie had pale blond hair and her eyes were the color of honey. They were both beautiful but they were missing something. A brain.

"Good morning Ariella. Good morning Josh. " said my stepmother as my father entered the room. My stepmother was disgusting. She had a very straight nose, her hair looked beautiful but when you touched it, it felt like hay. Her face was very bony and there were some visible wrinkles that she tried to hide but never succeeded. She always wore heavy make-up making her look like those old ladies who still think that they are as gorgeous as they were 30 years ago. And worse of all, she was fake. Not fake as in not human, she just pretended too much. That woman hated me like if I were the devil or something. But whenever my father was around, she treated me like if I was one of her daughters. My friends always told me that my story was similar to Cinderella's and I would just say no. But sometimes I really wished I had a fairy godmother.

"So Ari, are you ready for the Awards Ceremony?" my father asked smiling at me. My father could be a god. He was lovely and pure. He never got mad at me for anything. He would always sit down with me and talk. I loved him more than I have loved anyone in this world. But what I didn't understand was why my father married a witch. He told me that my mother had to leave for some reason but she left me with him. He never talked much about my mom and I never pushed him because I was always afraid to hurt him.

"Yep," I said smiling at my father. His brown eyes sparkled today. He knew that this award ceremony was very significant for me. He promised me that he would come but he told me that he would bring my stepmother and my stepsisters with him. I begged him not to but he told me that after, we would go buy some books. That shut me up.

"Hey Ari," said Cornelia. "What awards are you getting?"

I normally don't brag but, she was asking for it. "Best Math average, best Chemistry average, best History average, best behavior and best student." I smiled at her

"Wow," said my stepmother, "You sound like a nerd. No offense of course." She gave me a sarcastic smile.

"Well, it's better to be a nerd than to have 2 brainless daughters. No offense of course." I gave her smile back. She looked like she was about to punch me. Cornelia and Stephanie exchanged puzzled looks.

"So we will see you today Ariella," said my father, ending our discussion.

After eating some pancakes, the best dish my father makes, I grabbed my messenger bag and left home. None of my stepsisters went to school with me because they didn't manage to pass Shuriken Academy's test. Their mother was furious about that but my father put them in the public school right around the corner. This pissed off my stepmother even more, but I was glad he did that. It meant that he didn't totally like my stepsisters which neither did I.

As I walked to the bus station, I saw my best friend Grover walking along.

"Hey Grover!" I yelled at him but he didn't seem to notice. "Grover!" I yelled again. He looked thoughtful but the look on his face definitely meant it was something bad. I walked up to him. "GROVER!" I yelled with all my might. He looked up, surprised to see me.

"Um.. Hey Ari! I didn't expect to see you so early today." His voice was weak like if he was trying to hide something.

"Stop that Grover, its 7. I get here at 7 everyday." I looked at him suspiciously. "What's wrong. You looked worried."

"N-nothing," he said shaking.

"What's wrong Grover, what are you hiding?"

"Look, the bus is here." He was obviously trying to hide something from me. I looked back and the bus was coming. It stopped right in front of me. The doors opened and I stepped in. I took my normal seat next to Grover where we normally have our morning talks but today he was quite. Grover has been my best friend ever since I had been in the Shuriken Academy. He had curly brown hair which he always hid with his red cap, his arms were tan but very hairy and his eyes were brown like a tree's trunk. He was not the most attractive guy in the world but he was my best friend.

The bus made a sharp turn making me slap into Grover. Surprised, he looked at me.

"Hey, you look pretty today. Hey, you're wearing make-up! So what's the important thing going on today?" I was shocked. Grover was the one who knew everything that was going at school. He knew all the dates better than the kids in the Student Council. I stared at him in disbelief.

"Grover, are you alright? Do you know what day today is?" I asked him.

"Yep, I'm fine. Today is May the 2nd. OH! The Awards Ceremony! Gosh, I completely forgot about it. So that's why you are wearing make-up!" I was about to answer him when the driver slammed on the brakes making me almost hit the seat in front of me. I settled up and looked at the driver. He showed no expression in his face but he was staring directly at me. Beside me, Grover stood up.

"Let's get out of here Ariella." I followed Grover into the school. We went to our homeroom where our teachers led us downstairs to the gym where a stage was. We sat on those uncomfortable plastic chairs, but I didn't mind. Grover sat beside me. I waited for one of my friends to come sit beside me but my Math teacher came rolling his wheelchair instead. _Oh great, things can't get any better I_ thought.

The Awards Ceremony started right on time. I looked around, and I found my father sitting on the bleachers. Next to him were my stepmother and my stepsisters. The expression they held in their faces was of a little kid who was forced to do something against his will. This view made me smile.

The Awards Ceremony went by swiftly. I got up to receive all my awards. But at the end I was supposed to say my speech. When the microphone was on my hand, Ms. Ferguson came and snatched it out of my hand. I had practiced my speech so much and she simply took it away from me. At the end of the ceremony, Mrs. Ferguson came to talk to me.

"Follow me Ariella," she said sternly. I couldn't think of anything bad I had done these days. But Mrs. Ferguson didn't need me to do something to hate me. She hated me for no reason. Ever since I stepped into this school, she made it clear that she did not like me. I was the only person in the 9th grade that ended the school year with an A+ average and she still hated me. Every other teacher loved me beside her. She seemed to be a stranger among the teachers.

I followed her into the school building. She led me to a huge room in the basement that I didn't even know existed. The room was very dusty. I assumed it was closed for a long time and no one ever came to clean it. Empty shelves lined up against the walls and there seemed to be no lights in this room. The only light came from the open door which we had just entered from. This made the room that was already creepy, creepier.

"Um… Excuse me Mrs. Ferguson," I said trying to call her attention. She slowly turned her head in my direction making me swallow hard. "I just wanted to ask if this would take long because I want to see my father." I nervously looked at her.

"How long it will take will depend on how long you hide it."

"What? Hide it? Hide what?" I looked at Mrs. Ferguson confused. What would I be hiding?

"You know exactly what I am talking about Ariella Chase!" Her voice was like nails on a chalk board. I took a step back cautiously.

"I have no clue what you are talking about."

"I know you stole it!"

"Stole what? Look Mrs. Ferguson, I really have no clue what you are talking about. Maybe it was someone else who stole whatever you are looking for." She looked at me irritated.

"Very well Ariella Chase," she said in a calmer voice. "If you don't want to give it, I will take it from you!" I took two steps back while Mrs. Ferguson seemed to transform. Her skin color became darker, wings popped out from her back, her hair disappeared and so did her clothes, leaving behind a bony creature that looked creepier that the room. I always thought that Mrs. Ferguson didn't fit in but I never expected her to not fit in at all. She flew to the top of one of the shelves.

"Give it to me!" She yelled as the skydived towards me. I yelled and threw myself to the other side of the room at the same time. She landed at the far corner of the room. My hands were shaking as I realized that Mrs. Ferguson wanted to kill me. I had to find a way out of here. I looked at the door but Mrs. Ferguson could fly so she would definitely get there faster than me. _C'mon Ariella, don't panic, _I thought to myself. I looked at Mrs. Ferguson. Her eyes looked like a hunter's, ready to kill. I would have to fight. Running was worthless when you enemy could fly. But I wasn't the fighting kind. I always hated fighting. I would always solve my problem diplomatically (maybe that's why I got elected as Vice President of the Student Council), fighting was not an option. But now, it was fight or get killed. I quickly searched the room for something to use as a weapon. Something shinny under a shelf caught my eye. Mrs. Ferguson was getting ready to launch at me. I waited this she was flying towards me to run towards the shinny object. I looked back, hoping to see my English teacher crash into a shelf but she swiftly landed instead. I reached the shinny thing and pulled it out. It was a sword. A bronze sword. Mrs. Ferguson was getting ready to charge at me again. I looked at the sword. There was only one way to get out.

Mrs. Ferguson came flying towards me. I held the sword up and when she was close to me, I slashed the sword on her. She gave a high-pitched yelled. I closed my eyes not knowing what to expect. Everything went quite. Slowly, I opened my eyes and in front of me, where Mrs. Ferguson should be standing, was a pile of dust. I froze. A light wind came and blew all the dust away leaving me alone in the empty room. I let the sword drop and I ran as fast as I could. While I ran, I saw a figure lurking behind the wall. It looked like my Math teacher but when I got there, he was gone.

I went back to the gym hoping to see my father. I searched all over for him but I couldn't find him or my stepmother. So I decided to look for my Math teacher. I found him talking to a few students near the bleachers.

"Excuse me Mr. Bulmer, could I talk with you for a second?"

"Sure Ariella, come over here." He managed his wheelchair around the bunch of kids and led me to the other side of the bleachers.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" He asked me. His eyes blazed with curiosity.

"I was just wondering," I thought of a way to say it, "If you had seen Mrs. Ferguson."

"Mrs. Ferguson?" He looked confusedly at me. "Who is Mrs. Ferguson?"

Now I was the one confused, "Mrs. Ferguson, my English teacher. The one-"

"Oh," he said laughing happily, "You mean Mrs. Hudson! She is over there." He pointed to a skinny woman talking to a bunch of parents. "Gosh Ariella, you scared me. I thought for a moment that there was a new teacher that I didn't know of! Ha! I have heard that you have been busy lately, but I never thought you were that busy. You should try to get more sleep honey." I looked at him amazed. I had never seen that so called Mrs. Hudson before. "Look, I have to go now. Congratulations for the awards."

"Thank you." I mumbled. Everything was very strange today and right now I wanted to go home.

"Ariella, what are you doing?" I looked around and I found Grover staring at me.

"Oh… Nothing." His eyes narrowed.

"But you look kind of pale. What happened?"

"Nothing. It's just that I want to go home." He looked at me confused.

"Home? Aren't you the one who always wants to stay in school forever?" He was right. I loved this school a lot. I dedicate all my time to it. That was why I decided to become vice-president of the student council.

"Yes but today I just want to go home. I want to see my father." Grover took one look at me.

"Okay, but I am going with you."

I waited patiently as Grover talked the security into letting us out. It was against school rules to leave school without permission but I also think that it was against school rules to try to kill your students. He signaled for me to come. I put my hood on so that no one would know that it was the vice-president sneaking out of school. As soon as we left the school's street, I took my hood off. Grover didn't talk to me at all. He seemed to be captured in a distant thought. I tried to ignore him but it wasn't possible. He was always to happy and talkative but today he was gloomy and quite.

"Grover," I decided to break the silence. "Do you remember Mrs. Ferguson?"

His ears turned pink. "No, who is she?" _Bingo!_ I thought. Grover's ears would always turn pink whenever he lied.

"Grover, I have known you for more than a year now and I know when you are lying."

"I need to go to the bathroom," he said looking at me like if he was waiting an answer. He changed the subject too fast, not giving me a chance to backup. But since I didn't answer, he added, "Do not leave okay?" I nodded. "I mean it Ariella, you are under my responsibility." I looked at him confused but I nodded. I watched as my hairy best friend with his crutches walked away. He said he had some leg problems I did not know about. As soon as he entered the restroom, I ran home.

I opened the door of the small apartment we lived in. My father was watching TV in the living room. My stepmother was nowhere to be seen. She must be shopping. I slowly entered the room but my father heard me.

"Ariella? What are you doing here?" He looked at me.

"Oh, they let us leave early today," I lied.

"But you came home alone?" My father was always worried about me, even thought I was already 13.

"No, Grover came with me."

"Oh. Hey! You came just on time-"

"Father," I looked at him in the eye. "I have something to tell you."

"So say it."

"I-I..." I didn't know if I could tell him. Sure, he was my father but what would he think if I said that my English teacher was a monster and tried to kill me? "I-I … I just wanted to say that I am very happy that you went to the Awards Ceremony. It meant a lot to me."

A smile spread across his face. "Oh Ariella, it's my job as your father to be there for you." He looked so happy while I was so ashamed. "Well, I just wanted to tell you that we are going on a trip!"

"Really? With my stepsisters?"

"No, just you and me." My face lit up. The last time I traveled alone with my father was when I was two. All the other times we went with my stepmom and sisters. All they wanted to do was shop.

"Where are we going? For how long? When are we leaving?" I asked anxiously.

"To the beach, three days, and right now. Go pack." I smiled and left the room quickly. I swarmed into my room, throwing my backpack. I stuffed my favorite clothes along with things I would need: a book, my IPod, my cell phone, sunglasses, a hat, make-up, toothbrush, jewelry and my laptop. I rushed back to the living room. My father was sitting on the couch with his gray backpack beside him. We walked to the car. I sat beside him in the passenger seat and I watched Manhattan disappear in my window.


	2. Chapter 2: The Unexpected Visiton

Chapter 2

**UNEXPECTED VISITOR**

We drove for hours until we reached the small beach. It wasn't the prettiest beach in the world but it was the only beach I liked. Ever since I was little, I hated beaches. My father somehow seemed to understand this. He never took me to beaches except this one until he married Alicia. Alicia, my stepmother hated this place. She said it was the ugliest beach that she had ever been to and that she would never come here again. I was pretty disappointed when my father said that we would not be coming here for some time.

We got out of the car and went inside our little cabin. It wasn't ours but we were the only ones who ever went there, so it was practically ours. I placed my bag on the side table next to my usual bed. My father, like always got the suite. I was about to unpack when my father came asking if I wanted to go out. I grabbed my purse and ran to the door.

It was night time. I walked with my dad along the beach shore, looking at the shining stars. We stopped near some rocks to light a fire. My dad had brought sticks and marshmallows to roast in the open fire. I grabbed a stick and filled it up to the top with marshmallows. My father chuckled as he watched me devour all my marshmallows. There was a quick silence between us, but my father broke it.

"You look just like your mother," he said in a deep thoughtful voice. "Your eyes are gray just like hers." He chuckled slowly. "I always thought that gray eyes were dull and lifeless until I met her. Her gray eyes sparkled so much, you could confuse them for silver but she always insisted that they were gray, just like yours." He looked deep into my eyes, as if he was trying to read them. "And your hair, it's curly just like hers. But you inherited the sandy color from me." He reached out and calmly played with one of my curls. I took a long look at my sandy blond hair. My hair was not the prettiest in the world, but it was pretty. It was long and when it reached my shoulders, it would wave into beautiful and big curls. I looked at my dad who was still examining my curls. I decided to push him a bit further today.

"Why did my mother leave?" I asked. This caught his attention. He stopped playing with the curl and straightened up.

"She couldn't stay here with us. She is a very important woman and with great power comes great responsibility. She had to leave. She didn't want to but it was an obligation." His voice was very stiff. I looked around my favorite beach. Everything was still and calm. "You know why you only like this beach?" I looked at my father.

"No. I don't."

"It's because you were born here." I looked at him, confused. "I met your mother here. She would stay here all day. I lived in the city during that time. I would pass here every day just to see her. She always greeted me kindly and talked to me. I guess I fell in love. Then, one day, I came by and she was gone. I looked all over for her but there was no sign of her." My father looked like he was about to cry. I wanted to stop him but he kept talking. "About a week later, I came back here for some reason and surprisingly, I found her. She was standing on the porch as if she was waiting for me. On her arms laid the cutest baby I had ever seen. She came to me, explained me everything and handed me the sleeping baby. She said that we had to pick a name for her. She suggested Athens but I told her that it was better not to name our baby after a city. So she said Ariella." I watched as a tear slipped down my father's face. He ignored it and continued talking. "I thought it was the most beautiful name I had ever heard. Your mother smiled. She kissed me and you and left. That was the last time I ever saw her." By the time he finished the story, my dad was about to burst into tears. I looked at him, wanting to do something but nothing came to my mind.

"Dad, we should go back to the cabin," I said. He slowly got up and walked with me towards the cabin.

It was about midnight when someone started knocking on our door. My father and I were in a deep sleep and we didn't hear it at first, until it got louder. Whoever was on the other side of the door must want to say something very important because he or she started banging on the door so hard, it seemed that the door was going pop open.

"I am going!" My father enunciated every word with irritation as he staggered towards the door. As he opened the door, Grover jumped inside.

"Grover?" I sounded like someone who had just been run over by a huge truck. "What in the world are you doing here?" I was so sleepy I didn't even think about how he found us.

"ARIELLA!" His sharp voice made me jerk up. "WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU LEFT ME?" I looked at him. It took me a second to understand what he was trying to say.

"Ariella," my father said sternly. This caught my attention. My father never raised his voice to me. "Tell me everything." His stern voice made me feel tiny. I told him everything, from Mrs. Ferguson attacking me to me leaving Grover.

"Oh great," said Grover, his voice full of concern. "There was a Fury inside of school and I didn't even realize it" I looked at him.

"Who is the Fury?" I asked but he ignored me. He looked at my father.

"We have to take her," said Grover. My father had a painful look in his face but he nodded.

"Get your stuff Ariella, we're leaving."

"Where are we going?" I asked, but my father just ignored me. Everything was weird. My father and Grover sounded like if they had known each other for years but when I asked them, they said that they didn't know each other. I quickly dumped all my things in the car and got inside as we quickly left the cabin. I looked back and I could have sworn I saw a lady standing on the front porch.


	3. Chapter 3: The Minotaur

Chapter 3

**THE MINOTAUR**

"Where are we going?" I asked. I was sick of these secrets.

"To a summer camp." I looked at Grover.

"A summer camp? Of all the places we would go we are going to a summer camp?"

"This is not a normal summer camp. It's special. It's called Camp Half-Blood."

"Wow, creative name." I said. Grover gave me a look. My father still had the painful look on his face. "What's wrong Dad?" I asked.

"No it's just that I-I…" I looked at my dad. He never had trouble saying anything. "I have been avoiding this for so long."

"What? The summer camp? It's just a summer camp."

"I know but I might never see you again." I wanted to argue, say that it I would just be away for the summer but Grover interrupted.

"There's something following us." His voice was shaky. My dad stepped deeper into the accelerator making me jerk back. I looked back hoping to see what Grover had been talking about. I saw nothing. Everything was black and still, but I caught something moving. It was too far away and I couldn't see it very well but there was something moving. I was sure about that.

"C'mon, we're almost there," said Grover. He was shaking. I could tell that he wanted to bite his nails badly (like he always did). There was a sudden _thump_ behind us. But it continued in a steady beat. _Thump thump thump thump_. Each time, it got a bit louder. I figured it was the foot step of the creature following us. I looked back. The figure now was closer to us. I could see it a bit better. It was huge. It had what seemed like horns on his head. I was also very furry and he was trying to get to us as quickly as possible. I tried to think of a way out but there was nothing I could do. The thumping sound got louder and louder until Grover pulled my father and me. He seemed to be trying to pull us outside but as he tried, something big lifted the car. I started screaming while Grover kept tugging. My father was in shock, he didn't move at all. The car fell and broke into half. Grover had us all out by the time that the car exploded making us fly towards the woods. I fell on a grassy patch. My head was hurting real bad but it was not time to complain. I got up and looked around. On the road where we had been a few seconds ago laid my father's car in flames. Near me were a bunch of trees. I found my dad getting up a few feet from me but Grover laid motionless on a tree. I wanted to run towards him to help him but in front of me was the beast.

At that time, I thought it was the scariest thing in the world but now, it's not that scary. It was huge, about the size of a 5-story building. It was also very muscular and covered with fur. It had very long and pointy horns that stood out on its head. I guess you would call it a Minotaur. The Minotaur looked at me ready to charge.

"Ariella listen!" yelled my father. I was listening but I was in no mood to reply. "It's a Minotaur. The Minotaur is not good in changing their direction so wait 'till it running towards you to jump to the other side." I wanted to ask him how in the world he knew this but there was no time for questions. The Minotaur started running towards me. I waited until it was three feet away from me to jump to the left. My father was right; the Minotaur tried to change direction but failed. Instead, he continued going forward and almost crashed into a tree. My father was trying to make his way to Grover but the Minotaur spotted him. It charged towards my dad but he jumped away.

"HEY STUPID LITTLE BEAST!" I yelled at the Minotaur. My father realized what I was trying to do and ran towards Grover. All he needed was a little bit of time and I could give him that. "WHY DON'T YOU GET YOUR LOUSY BUTT HERE?" I guess I should have known that you should not insult and angry Minotaur because that would make him angrier. The beast looked at me, his eyes blazing with fury. He charged at me, even faster than last time. I almost didn't make it. He stood up even faster and charged at me again. I flung myself away from him. If the beast kept the pace, I wouldn't survive.

"Ariella!" I looked at my father. He was standing next to Grover. "Take Grover and go to the camp! It's past the olive tree!" I looked around and there was an olive tree standing right in the middle of the forest, but behind it was an opening. "You guys will be safe there!"

"Dad!" I yelled. "Come with me! Please!" I couldn't afford to lose him. I had already lost my mother (I actually never met her but those are just details) and I couldn't lose my dad too.

"No sweetheart, I can't go. It has to be you and Grover. Go while I distract the Minotaur." His voice had gotten sweeter, but the Minotaur had heard him. The beast turned to face my father. My dad got Grover as the beast charged. He waited for the right moment and he threw Grover to the left and tried to jump to the right. Grover made it out but my father was in the hands of the Minotaur. I yelled as the Minotaur looked at what he had gotten. My father stood there. Suddenly, he turned into a pile of ash, just like Mrs. Ferguson had. Tears ran down my cheeks and I stood there staring at the place my father had been. I wanted to stop everything. I wanted to cry my guts out. But I couldn't, because of that stupid beast. I looked as the monster turned around looking straight at me. I was determined to do this one thing, even if it took my life away, I would do it. I would kill this stupid beast.

_C'mon Ariella,_ I thought to myself, _make that brain of yours work._ I looked around, hoping to find something to use as a weapon. My father's car was still in flames. _That could be useful but you would have to find a way to lure the beast there, without getting burned._ I looked towards the forest, but all there was were a bunch of trees. _They could be useful to knock the beast out for a few seconds. These options aren't good enough, there has to be another way_ I thought to myself. The Minotaur charged at me. I slipped away just in the right time. The Minotaur kept running the same direction and accidently, with those big horns, knocked down a few trees. With those very pointy and jagged horns. _That's it!_ I thought to myself. I ran and stood in front of the biggest tree I saw.

"COME HERE MR. SCAREDY PANTS! COME HERE TO SEE IF YOU CAN GET ME!" The Minotaur whirled around to find me. He was bubbling with fury again. I guess I could win an award for getting monsters angry. The Minotaur charged at me. I slipped out as the Minotaur kept going forward but stopped as he ran headfirst into the tree. The sound was very loud. The beast seemed dazed for a while. I jumped onto that huge thing, climbing my way to its horns. As soon as I placed my hand on the Minotaur's horn, it seemed to have regained its conscience. It started to shake, trying to get me off his back just like those horses in the rodeo. I held on to the horn as if it was my life (which it probably was) but at the same time, I tried pulling it off the Minotaur. The beast swung its head to the side. I held as tight as I could, but the force was too big. I flew across the sky holding the horn. I collapsed onto the ground along with the horn. The Minotaur was already charging towards me when I got up. I grabbed the horn and stepped aside. As the Minotaur passed me, I dug the horn into the Minotaur. The beast groaned in pain and with its big and heavy legs, he pushed me aside, sending me flying towards a tree. I gasped in pain as my back slammed into a tree's trunk. I opened my eyes a bit and exactly where the Minotaur was standing stood a pile of dust. I looked around. Everything seemed quite but suddenly, sounds started coming from nowhere. I wanted to get up, to see what was happening, to help Grover, but the darkness took over.


End file.
